Now Really is Forever
by SporksN'Knives
Summary: Rin has always been good with keeping secrets - for people, from people. But now she's found herself burdened with one that can't be kept for long. RinxLen. Language warning.
1. Liar

**Welcome to the world of insanity and WTF-ness that is Vocaloid. XD Also, welcome to my first fanfic(on this account) I apologize for the awkward wording in parts of this chapter...I wrote this about two years ago and haven't been bothered to go through and edit it...so I apologize q.q **

**However, I hope you'll enjoy~! :3**

**~SporksN'Knives**

* * *

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

'One more tick...and I'll shoot that goddamn timer.'

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

She nearly lost her cool and raised her hand to knock it across the room, but stopped herself right before her hand came into contact with its plastic casing. It was timing down for a reason. Part of her wished it would never stop counting down the minutes while another desperately wanted it to hurry up and ring. Hope and dread convened in a sickening battle in her stomach, causing her to cross her arms and hunch over, hiding her face in the space created between her abdomen , arms, and legs. She couldn't stop thinking about the object she'd hidden in her medicine cabinet. After she'd used it, she couldn't bring herself to look at it until she had to.

A bout of anger rose from somewhere inside her and Rin reached out and punched the wall on her left. Not hard enough to break anything, but she noticed that a few of her knuckles popped when they collided with it. She sat back up, leaning against the wall behind her and wringing her hands together. She drew her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, staring at the swirls in the wooden cabinet doors in front of her.

'This never would have happened if Len and I hadn't. . .' she blushed as she thought of the things the two done together for the past few months. 'I wouldn't have to be sitting here stressing if it weren't for...' Rin couldn't make herself finish the thought. It was so embarrassing, yet she found such pleasure in it; it confused her.

The timer began to belt out the metallic sound of the bell contained within it, startling Rin. She put a hand to her chest and took a deep breath as she hauled herself off of the floor to silence it. She set it back on the countertop, her hands trembling. She picked the sheet with instructions in several different languages up out of the sink and brushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder, exhaling sharply to calm herself.

"Pink means positive, blue means negative. Simple enough." Rin eyed the medicine cabinet door and slowly reached out to grab it. She wrapped her fingers around the knob and squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled, forcing one eye open when the hinges refused to turn anymore. There on the clear glass shelves sat the object which could possibly determine the rest of her life, change her plans for her education, and even bring her career as a Vocaloid to an abrupt end.

'Enough standing here stressing over it,' Rin thought, huffing as she reached out and grabbed the pregnancy test, deliberately covering the middle of it with the palm of her hand so she wouldn't see the results right away. She looked down at the hand hiding whatever color stripes which lay beneath it, biting her lip and drawing in a slow, trembling breath. She released the air in her lungs through her nose as she pulled her hand away.

Rin stood silently looking at the results displayed in the windows of the pregnancy test for nearly thirty seconds before the reality hit her in the head with its proverbial sledgehammer. She dropped the test due to her slowly numbing, trembling hands. It clattered on the floor as Rin backed into the wall behind her. She brought her hands to her mouth and slid down to the floor, her eyes wide and her mouth agape beneath her hands. This couldn't be real. No. No. No. The test was wrong. It had to be! Those cheap tests at the pharmacy weren't the most accurate things in the world. Everybody knew that!

Rin harshly planted a hand to her forehead when she glanced at the packaging the test had been nestled inside of when she bought it. It boasted of being professionally approved as 95% accurate. The chances of the undetermined 5% being in her favor were probably just shy of impossible. It was time to own up to the truth.

"I'm pregnant. . .!"

Rin hadn't been sick when she initially took the test, but only a few minutes after she saw the results, she found herself hunched over the toilet, emptying her stomach of everything she'd eaten for lunch. Surely her nausea couldn't be totally accounted to morning sickness – Rin hadn't been sick to her stomach at all for months. 'Fear...yeah, that's it. Fear. Totally.'

A knock on the door startled her again.

"What is it?" Rin asked, standing up at the sink to rinse her mouth out.

"Are you okay?" a masculine voice asked from the other side of the door. Rin felt herself melt at the sound of it. "It sounds like you're getting sick."

Rin smiled as she turned off the tap water and shook the water from her hands. "I'm alright, Kaito, lunch probably didn't agree with me, that's all!"

'I'm such a liar.'

"Alright. . .if you're sure. . .I just worry, you know. . ."

Rin dried her hands and opened the door. She was immediately caught in the snare of Kaito's entrancing eyes, blue as methane. She let herself fall into his open arms and listened to the sound of his heart beating in his chest. She closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation of Kaito running his fingers through her golden locks.

"You worry about me too much, Kaito," she murmured, snuggling her face into his chest. He chuckled and hugged her a little tighter.

"With as beautiful a girl as you, I have to worry; otherwise someone else could come and take you away." He said, pushing her away just enough to look into her eyes. He placed a gentle hand on her cheek and caressed her rather pale skin with his thumb. Rin's expression changed to a childish pout.

"For someone to take me from you would mean that I'd have to consent to them taking me, you know." Kaito smiled and brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I guess I do worry too much, then."

'I'm such a lying bitch.'

A few hours later, Rin lay on her bed, staring up at her ceiling. The realization that she was pregnant hadn't quite finished sinking in yet. How would she explain to people that she was pregnant? She was sixteen – certainly too young for this. Maybe she could say she was raped – nah, Kaito would flip and ask for details to find out more about her assailant so he could go hunt him down and avenge her. She wouldn't be able to keep up with a story like that. Perhaps. . .she could just say she didn't know how she'd managed to get pregnant and thus didn't know who the father was.

Rin sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. Who was she kidding? She was a horrible liar. Only Kaito and Len never saw through her deceptions. Even if they didn't know she was lying, Meiko, Luka, or Miku would. Rin knew perfectly well who the father was. How could she not know? She'd only slept with one guy in all her sixteen years – Len. That kind of made him a suspect.

'I'm gonna have to tell him the truth eventually,' Rin thought, laying back down and subconsciously placing a hand on her now-flat stomach. 'This is one secret I can't keep forever.'


	2. Truths

__**If anyone reads this...I love you. I absolutely love you. XDD Again, I apologize for any awkward writing...I wrote this when I was 14. If you want less awkward stuff, I'll put more up in a few days...I've kind of bombarded with submissions today. XD**

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

_Rin smiled as she felt Len's arms snaking around her slender waist, pulling their bodies together. Rin basked in his warmth, ignoring the slight chill she felt nipping at her bare shoulders. Len pressed a gentle kiss to Rin's lips, probably as compensation for the pain he'd caused her just a few hours earlier. Rin moved her head just the slightest bit closer to him, deepening the kiss. After a moment she pulled away, resting her head on the still-damp pillow and continuing to let her eyes linger on his face. She melted when she saw that his soft gaze was ever fixed on her and smiled, a slight blush rushing to her cheeks._

_"I love you," he whispered. Rin couldn't help grinning like a kindergartener. Every time he told her, it felt like the first time. She scooted closer to Len and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, allowing herself to fall asleep in his arms. She didn't say anything. She was always better at communicating through song and action than words._

Rin rested her head in her hands. She only had so long to tell Len. If she didn't, he'd figure it out on his own sooner or later. She hated keeping secrets from him.

If I don't tell him now, I might not have the courage later, she decided, standing up. Her knees threatened to give out on her as she walked out of her room and stood in front of Len's bedroom door. She swallowed all the fear she could manage and tapped on the wood.

Tap tap tap.

No response.

Rin knocked again, louder this time.

TAP TAP TAP.

This time she could hear shuffling beyond the door. A few seconds later the doorknob turned and the door swung to the side, revealing a very newly-awakened Len. Rin then remembered that Len had taken a nap because he'd been up all night studying for his exams.

"Rin," he said, his eyes widening with surprise as he stifled a yawn. "Is something wrong?" He rubbed at his eyes with his right hand in a rather childish manner. Even at sixteen, he was still a shouta in more ways than he knew. Let the author rephrase that last sentence – Len was still a shouta in more ways than he chose to admit.

Rin looked down. "I. . .need to talk to you. . ." she murmured. Len stepped aside to let her in and shut the door behind her. Rin seated herself on the bed and Len sat down beside her. "What's going on?" he asked. Rin couldn't bring herself to look at him. The words wouldn't form in her mouth and her throat suddenly went dry. Len touched her chin to make her look at him.

"Rin, just tell me. Tell me what's bothering you."

Rin felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wasn't sure what caused them: fear, anxiety, shock, or perhaps even happiness. All of these emotions plus a few more created a sickening mixture in her gut which subdued even the butterflies she normally felt fluttering around whenever she was around Len.

"L-Len. . ." she managed to stutter. "I have. . .something I have to tell you. . ."

Len continued to donate his undivided attention to her, not pointing out her redundancy. "What is it?"

Tears threatened to spill. Rin blinked them back. "I'm afraid you'll hate me when I tell you!" she blurted. Len shook his head and leaned closer to kiss her. "How could I ever hate you?" he whispered as he broke away. "I'll never hate you. Just tell me what it is."

Rin bit her lip and drew in a deep breath. She let it out, her chosen words slipping out along with the air in her lungs.

"I'm. . .pregnant, Len."

Earsplitting silence ensued. Rin bit her lip and searched Len's eyes for any kind of reaction. His cerulean orbs, completely identical to hers, may as well have been mirrors for all the indication of any emotion they supplied. She clenched her hands and pushed them against her knees, bracing herself for the goodbye.

". . .come again?" Len whispered, breaking the silence like a plate of glass. Rin jumped at the sound of his voice. She bit her lip again.

"I'm pregnant."

Len looked up at her, his eyes still devoid of any recognizable emotion. Rin noticed a sparkle flickering in his irises and felt her heart skip a beat or two.

"Whose is it?"

Rin gave him her best 'You-Can't-Really-Be-That-Stupid-Right?' look. "Len," she began, exasperation beating down her fear and anxiety. "I've only slept with one guy." When Len cocked his head in what seemed to be confusion, Rin rolled her eyes. "It's yours, Sir Brilliant."

Len's mouth dropped open as the proverbial light bulb above his head flared on.

"A – Are you sure?"

"About what?"

"That. . .you're. . .pregnant with my…?" he couldn't make the words 'baby' or 'child' form on his tongue. Rin nodded slowly. Len's eyelids fluttered open and shut a few times before he looked away from her again. Rin felt tears rising in her eyes but didn't bother blinking them back. There was only so much room in her heart for tears to be restrained. She jumped as Len threw his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. Rin gasped as she felt his arms surrounding her.

". . .are you angry at me?" he asked, his voice husky.

Rin clasped her arms around Len and turned her head so that her face was hidden in his neck.

"No. . ." she whispered in reply. "why would I be mad at you?"

"Why wouldn't you be? I mean. . .I got you preg – pregnant, Rin." Rin couldn't help noticing with a kind of dark amusement that the word 'pregnant' was uttered with a kind of disbelief and caught on his tongue.

"I'm not angry. I'm afraid that you're gonna. . .you know, leave me now that I'm kind of a time bomb now…"

Len pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes, his own wide with shock. "What made you think I'd ever do that?" he asked, appalled. "I haven't left you before so why would I ever do that now? Especially since now we're in a little over our heads together. I'm just as at fault as you are. Running from you wouldn't change anything. No matter what, I'd still be the father of this child, even if I were to play no part in its life." A perplexed expression played on his face. "Father. . ." he murmured, obviously overwhelmed. Rin knew that the word was probably supposed to be thought. "Besides, I wouldn't be leaving just you. I'd be leaving an unborn child, too." He added.

"But what are we gonna do? I mean, I'm still with Kaito and you're still with Meiko. Once it gets out that I'm pregnant and people find out that you're the father, which won't take long, let me remind you, all hell's gonna break loose."

"Oh…I didn't think about that. . ."

Rin sighed. A few seconds later, she sobbed once and stood up, one hand on her hip and the other covering her mouth. This couldn't really be happening! Despite all the effort she put into convincing herself that it was all in her head, it wasn't. She was six weeks late. That had never happened with her before. There was no denying it or undoing it. She was pregnant.

Rin finally cracked and dropped to her knees, her face hidden in her hands. Len knelt down behind her, wrapping his arms around her again and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Rin, it's gonna be okay," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "and you know. . .maybe we could do this. . ."

"Do what?"

"This whole 'having a baby' thing. Maybe we should keep it."

Rin laughed once. "With what money? The money I get from my five dollar-an-hour job at the drugstore? You know we can't touch a cent of our money from Yamaha until we're 21."

Len smiled and hugged her tighter, careful not to put much pressure on her abdomen. "I've got the money I make as a street performer on the side. I could always go get a real job, Rin. We're not touring this year. I'll do whatever it takes to support you and the baby." He brushed his lips against her cheek again. "Rin, I love you."

Rin closed her eyes and let her hands fall from her face. "You think we could. . .really. . .parent this baby?"

"We created it together inside you. Forgive my choice in words, but I feel like I owe it to the baby to be part of its life, don't you?"

"I didn't think of it like that. . .now that I think about it, you're right."

Len gently turned her around – it wasn't difficult with the hardwood floor – and looked her full in the face. "Then do you want to try?"

Rin was silent for a moment.

". . .yeah."


	3. Foreign Customs

**I wrote nothing but this story for MONTHS. So there's more to come, don't you worry. :3 **

**/shot/**

**Forgive any typos or anything...I'm too tired to go through this right now. xD**

* * *

"You're WHAT?" Luka squawked, her hands flying to her mouth. Rin grimaced, hoping no one had heard Luka's outburst. "Sorry," the older vocaloid whispered. "But. . how. . .who's the father?"

Rin looked down. "You've gotta promise not to tell anyone who he is."

". . .it's not Kaito, is it?"

Rin shook her head. "It's Len."

Luka's mouth dropped open again. "But he's with Meiko! How long have you guys been. . .you know. . ."

Rin blushed. "The better part of a year. Kaito and Meiko don't know."

"When did you find out? About the baby, I mean."

"Um. . .four days ago."

An awkward silence ensued. Luka wrung her hands together, searching for something to say.

". . .you gonna tell him?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Kaito."

"I'll have to eventually. It won't be long until I start showing."

"You're not gonna wait until he notices a bump, are you?"

Rin smiled, half to alleviate her own worries and half to encourage Luka. "I'll try not to."

Luka smiled sadly at the blond Vocaloid. "Rin, you've gotta tell him soon. Len should probably be with you in the event that Kaito cracks. You and I both know he's a pacifist, but he's absolutely, completely in love with you. We both know how afraid he is of someone taking you from him – Len's done that now. If he does snap, you don't want him to end up hurting the baby, would you?"

Rin's heart began to beat like a snare in her chest. She hadn't thought about that. "Y-you're right. . ." she stammered. Luka sighed.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"No, it's fine. Len really ought to have the decency to come with me, seeing as he's involved. . ."

"Rin. . . .are you okay?"

Rin fought her rising nausea and tried to smile. "Yeah, I'm fin – " before she could finish, her hands flew to her mouth and she scrambled across Luka's room to the bathroom. Honestly – she would probably die of malnutrition at the rate she was barfing every day.

Luka didn't follow Rin into the bathroom, but stood just outside, debating on whether or not to go in and comfort Rin. She decided against her idea a few seconds later when she heard the toilet flush and Rin moved to the sink to rinse her mouth out. She looked up at Luka and grinned sheepishly. "Morning sickness," she said, shyly scratching the back of her head. "It's the price I pay."

- -Three Days Later- -

"You ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be."

Rin and Len stood facing each other in Len's room, trying desperately to calm themselves and each other. Today they would break the news of Rin's pregnancy, first to Kaito, then to Meiko. Rin's gaze was fixed on her slippers; she couldn't make herself look at Len.

"You alright?" Len asked, dropping to his knees and looking up at her. Tears were building up in her eyes. Len smiled reassuringly and took her hands in his, gently squeezing them. "It'll be alright, Rin. I promise."

Rin was silent as a tear fell from her right eye. Len reached up and brushed away the trail left in its wake. "Do you trust me, Rin?"

Rin sighed and a sad smile traced her lips. "I trust you with my life, Len."

Len stood and kissed her. "Then lets go. It'll be alright. Once we break the news to Meiko and Kaito, we'll be free to be together without keeping our relationship a secret."

Rin brightened at Len's final statement. ". . .okay," she murmured.

"Uh. . .Len?"

"I hear ya."

"Maybe we should wait until later. ."

"You're probably right. . .they seem kinda. . ." Len blushed. ". . .busy." They finished together.

Telling by the muffled sounds seeping through Kaito's bedroom door, he and Meiko were very. Very. Busy. With each other. When they heard Meiko start moaning louder and louder every other second, they began to back away from the door, highly disturbed.

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised or angry," Len said once he and Rin had retreated into Len's room again. "I mean, we were going behind their backs first."

Rin nodded. "I'm not surprised or angry, to be honest. I'm kind of relieved."

Len shot a double-take at his lover and mirror image. "What do you mean?"

Rin shrugged. "I guess. . .well. . .if they've been cheating on us together while we've been cheating on them together, all four of us are kind of in the same boat. Maybe the release will be a little easier since we already know their secret."

"I didn't think about it like that," Len said, stretching. He sat down on the bed next to Rin, leaning on his forearms which were perched on his knees.

"Is it too early to talk about names?" he asked. Rin placed a finger to his lips. "Ah, ah, ah," she warbled. "the Koreans say it's bad luck to talk about a baby's name before it's born."

Len grabbed her hand and kissed the finger touching his lips. He slowly crept closer to Rin, causing her to lay flat on her back with her legs dangling over the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, well, we're not Korean," he whispered in her ear. He straddled her at the hips and began gracing her neck with his lips, causing a slight moan to escape Rin's throat. He smirked against her neck and bit down just hard enough to make her gasp in surprise. He loved this game because Rin never realized she was playing it until it was too late. His hands worked their way to the hem of her shirt and crept under it, his fingertips dancing across the skin of her abdomen. He jumped in surprise when Rin laughed and sat up a bit, catching him off guard. She pushed his hands away, giggling.

"Stop it!" she playfully scolded him, her hands wrapped around his wrists. "That tickles!"

Len didn't know what to make of things for a moment. That wasn't supposed to happen. She'd never been ticklish like that before. Then his eyes narrowed mischievously with the idea of a new game.

He continued to pin Rin to the bed, but instead of moving to start something sexual, he freed his hands placed them back on her stomach under her shirt, lightly dragging his fingers across her skin again. She reacted and tried to push him off, but Len was prepared. He retaliated by moving his hands to her sides and lightly dug his fingertips into the skin there. Rin squawked as she laughed, bringing a smile to Len's lips. He worked his way further and further up her torso, stopping and reversing the direction of his hands when he reached her bra. He was having too much fun to want something bittersweet like sex at the moment.

Rin's hands shot out and caught Len at the same place he'd had her. Len squeaked – yes, he squeaked – and fell back, laughing. It was then he realized his mistake. Now he was the one pinned to the bed. Rin was quick to straddle him in the same place he'd straddled her and smirked as she held his wrists to the sheets with her hands. She had him.

"You just got owned by your pregnant girlfriend, Len," she laughed. Len blushed. She would never let him live it down now.

"I can't fight back now, either," he chuckled as she moved to lay on her back beside him. "It wouldn't be very honorable of me to fight a pregnant woman."

Rin snickered. "Ha! I have immunity!"

Len turned onto his stomach and rested his head against a pillow, tenderly placing his hand on Rin's stomach. "Seriously, though," he murmured. "You're gonna have to make sure you're really careful for a few months. I don't know a lot about pregnancy, but I know that the first few months are the most delicate since the baby's still really, really small and everything."

Rin looked up at the ceiling, her hand resting atop Len's. "Yeah. I know." She looked down at Len. "You're really serious about keeping this baby, aren't you?"

Len nodded. "Only if you're up for it."

Rin smiled and ran a hand through Len's unkempt bangs. "For you, I am."

After a few moments of peaceful silence, Len perked up, a childish glint in his eyes.

"Hey, since we're pretty much a couple now and we're having a baby," he started, a smile spreading across his face. "Does this mean we get to share a room now?" he grinned in excitement. Rin let her head fall back as she laughed.

"After we get a chance to tell Kaito and Meiko about us."

Len stuck his lip out. "Aww, do we have to?"

Rin snickered at the expression on her lover's face. He was definitely going to be a shouta for a long, long time.

"Yes, we have to," she replied in a mockingly mother-like tone of voice. "Though it could be a while. . ." she rolled her eyes as she remembered what she and Len had caught them doing.

Len shook his head. "Yeah. . ." his voice seemed to mature with his next words. "Hey, Rin."

"What, Len?"

"What do you want to do to pass the time?" he asked, propping himself up on all fours and beginning to crawl on top of Rin again. Rin smirked.

"I don't know. Surprise me."

Rin wasn't ticklish when Len's hands began to progress further up underneath her shirt again. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and started pulling his shirt off as Len began to work on unbuttoning hers.

"This is so wrong," she moaned playfully as her shorts were being removed. Len attacked her neck again as they slid from his hands to the floor.

"Is loving you wrong? I don't think so." He murmured seductively. Rin arched her back and gasped when he playfully nipped at the skin of her neck. Len smirked again. Rin knew what he wanted. He'd sort of already gotten it.

"Just go easy on me this time, kay?" she asked, sliding her hands down his chest, a suggestive smile on her face. "I'm already pregnant, remember."

Len snickered as she fumbled with his belt buckle. "You got it."


	4. Broken Promises

"If I somehow get pregnant a second time only a month after I get pregnant the first time, I swear to God, I will kill you, Kagamine – "

"Hey, you said you were six weeks late when you first told me, didn't you? By all accounts girls don't get their periods while they're pregnant. So you don't have anything to worry about."

"In some cases – "

Len silenced her with a kiss. He pulled away, false anger on his face. "Don't you 'in some cases me', missy," he teased. Rin snickered and lightly smacked him before turning over, Len's blanket pulled tightt over her chest. She sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep, but it was still daylight. She reveled in the feeling of Len wrapping his arms around her waist. She snuggled into him and smiled when she felt his lips brush her back and shoulders.

Rin opened her eyes and looked at the clock on Len's nightstand. "Aw, damn," she muttered. Len continued to kiss her in random places.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice muffled against her skin.

"I've gotta get dressed. . .Luka was gonna go with me to my first obstetrician appointment... The appointment is at 3:15 and it's 2:47," she groaned.

Len propped himself up on one elbow. "What's an obnoxiotrician?"

Rin snorted and burst out laughing.

"OBSTEtrician, Len," she choked out with great difficulty. "it's a baby doctor, basically. They watch the baby while it grows to make sure that everything falls into place correctly."

"Can I go with you?"

"No! It's. . .kind of…a personal thing. . ." she stuttered, panicked.

"Aww. . ."

Rin grinned, lifting his spirits. "I'll let you go with me when I go in for my first ultrasound, though, how's that?"

Len's eyes sparkled with nearly naïve delight. Rin sighed. "I have to get ready, Len."

"One more kiss before you go."

"You're so annoying," Rin murmured as she turned toward him. She let him get close enough to touch his lips to hers, but just barely. She pulled away the second their lips came into the slightest contact, and Len whimpered in complaint. Rin smiled and started to get up when Len bolted upright and pushed his lips to hers.

"You know I hate it when you tease me," he mumbled.

"You had it comin', baby."

* * *

"So what exactly are you coming in for, Rin?" Luka asked, her voice down as she flipped through a magazine.

Rin shrugged. "I dunno. I would assume it's just a meet and greet with the doctor since it's so early."

"Kagamine?" a nurse called.

Rin's heartstarted racing. She knew there was no reason to be afraid, but she still was.

"Hey, Rin, you gonna go?" Luka nudged the blond seated next to her. Rin nodded hastily and stood. "Yeah, I'm going."

Rin and Luka followed the nurse back into the clinic. She led them into a room with an examination table, a regular table, and three chairs.

"So. . .why didn't you bring Len along?" Luka inquired as the nurse left the room. Rin sat down in one of the chairs.

"Because he'd totally lose his head. He's finally adjusted to the fact that we're having a baby and can't wait to be a father." Rin hung her head ans sighed. "I don't have the heart to tell him that this isn't what I wanted."

Luka's eyes widened as she looked at the steel plate on the door. It read "Abortion Consultation Room 2". Her mouth dropped open.

"Rin, you're not gonna kill it, are you?"

"I don't really have a choice."

"Rin, abortion is the exact same thing as murder! Your mother wasn't married when she got pregnant with you, so based on what you seem to believe, she could have aborted you because she hadn't wanted a baby! But she didn't, Rin!" Tears flooded Luka's eyes as she turned and took both of Rin's hands, squeezing them. "Rin," she pleaded. "Don't abort the baby. How are you gonna tell Len?"

Rin looked down. "I'll tell him I miscarried."

"You're not that good of a liar."

"With Len, I am."

"Rin, please, think this through!"

"Luka, it's not like I'm getting the abortion today! I'm just getting the paperwork I need. It takes time to fill out, so I have to take it home and make sure everything is in order. I'll be bringing it back during my next appointment."

". . .Rin, this baby isn't just a blob of tissue." Rin looked up at the pink-haired girl in front of her. "It's a part of you. . ." she paused. ". . .and a part of Len. You kill it, you kill a little bit of yourself and him."

She had a point. Rin felt her heart lurch painfully at the thought of hurting Len like that. Before she could respond, a woman dressed in what was obviously a very expensive, modern suit walked into the room.

"Good day," she greeted cheerfully, her eyes sparkling behind her black wireframe glasses. Her flowing chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders in lazy, elegant curls. A pin adorned with a green gemstone flower held her bangs out of her face, matching the satin top peeking out from behind the lapels of her charcoal blazer. The heels of her black pumps clacked against the hardwood floor. She held her hand out first to Luka and then to Rin, smiling the whole time. "My name is Akiha Kobayashi, I'll be your doctor during the procedure," she said to Rin.

'Awfully chipper and well-dressed for what Luka just told me is a baby-killer,' Rin mused. She shook the woman's hand then settled back in her seat, her heart pounding with indecision.

"Like we discussed over the phone, an abortion takes a lot of paperwork, so today I'll be giving you the forms to fill out and you can bring them back at your next appointment to finalize your decision. Then we'll schedule a day to begin the procedure." She smiled, as though to reassure Rin before setting a briefcase on the table and opening it. She pulled a folder from inside the case and pushed it across the table toward Rin.

"I know it seems like a lot, Kagamine-san, but it's mostly reading, really. I advise you to read all of it, because in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, we don't want the blood on our hands."

Luka pulled the folder to herself to look at the papers inside. She leafed through them, her aura growing darker and darker with each passing second. Rin shivered as she noticed Luka's eyes growing colder than she was comfortable with. Dr. Kobayashi, however, didn't seem to notice.

"I know it seems like it was kind of a waste of time, but that's all we have to do today," she bubbled. "Before you leave, talk to the receptionist so she can schedule another consultation with me. Rest assured, the procedure is harmless to you. A few days after it's finished, you'll need to take it easy, but after that, you'll be able to go about your life like nothing ever happened."

Rin stood. "Arigatou, Kobayashi-san," she murmured as Luka ushered her out of the room. Soon afterward, as Rin and Luka got back into the car to return home, Luka turned and grabbed Rin's shoulders.

"Rin, you've got to think about this. Look at the real consequences of an abortion. Physical and emotional. I said it earlier, and I'll say it again. It won't affect just you. It'll destroy Len."

Rin shook Luka's hands away and looked down at the folder in her lap. "I know. I'm thinking about it."

* * *

Rin lay on her bed in tears. Luka had asked her to listen to the testimonies of women all over the world who had had abortions, and she knew she wouldn't be able to go through with it. Many of the women she'd listened to had attempted suicide on more than one occasion while others found themselves unable to have children again. One man who spoke admitted that he'd instigated his girlfriend's abortion and now his decision had become his greatest regret. If Rin aborted her baby, she knew she would never be able to live with herself. And what if she and Len decided they wanted children later and she was rendered infertile? That would hurt even more.

"I can't do this. . ." she sobbed into her pillow. She heard a knock at her door and groaned.

"Leave me alone. . .I don't feel like talking right now," she called, her voice thick. The door opened a crack, allowing the light from the hallway to flood inside. Len poked his head inside. "Rin-Rin. . ." he called softly.

Rin opened her eyes and found herself slightly amused by Len's sillhouette. His usual ponytail had somehow stood on end, and every time he moved his head it flopped a different direction, reminding her of a dog's tail. It wasn't enough to cheer her up, however, so she dropped her head back to the pillow and buried her face in it, ignoring Len. She heard his soft footsteps approaching her and her lamp clicked on, shedding a dim light on everything around it. Her bed sank a bit as Len sat down beside her and pulled her hair behind her ears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice low as he ran his fingers through her hair, gold as sunlight. Rin didn't respond. Len pressed a breathtakingly gentle kiss to the skin behind her ear, sat back up and comfortingly rubbed her back.

He looked down at the floor and noticed a folder with a thick ream of paper poking out. He picked the folder up and looked at the heading on the first paper just in time to hear Rin protest.

"Len, don't read those!"

But it was too late.

"Rin. . ." he muttered. "what is this?" he asked, his voice filling with anger and confusion. Rin refused to look at him. She only looked at the heading of the paper. ABORTION CONSENT FORM.

"Rin," he repeated, his voice a little more intense. "what the fuck is this?" Rin noticed her tears dropping to her jeans. She remained silent for a moment.

"I. . ."

"What?"

Rin winced at the anger in his voice. "I. . .I was going to get an abortion. . .I didn't think we could handle a baby, Len!" She looked up at him and felt her chest constrict even more when she saw the heartbroken expression on his face.

"Len, I thought it would be best for both of us! We have no money and. . .and we're only sixteen! We're not fit to be parents, Le – "

She was caught off guard as Len's hand collided with her cheek. Her eyes widened as she held her hand to her slowly-bruising cheek, her sadness gone and replaced with shock. Len had slapped her. He'd never hit her before – at least, not like that. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at Len in disbelief. His eyes flared with his anger for a moment before he seemed to realize what he'd done. His eyes softened and tears began to fill them as he reached to Rin to pull her close to him. "Rin I'm sor – "

Rin pushed him away. "Don't touch me," she cried, her sadness having returned. Len's face fell as he looked down at Rin's orange-patterned comforter. "You didn't even listen to my whole story, Len! I decided that I wasn't going to go through with it! The thought of hurting you like that made me change my mind!" Rin choked up and hunched over, crying again. She let Len wrap his arms around her to comfort her while she cried.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I. . .I don't know what came over me. . ." he kissed her hair. "I hope you'll forgive me."

"I'll think about it." Rin replied, burying her face into his chest.

"I'm just. . .horrified that you wanted to end its life before it even got to live it," he whispered, continuing to console Rin and himself by playing with her hair. Rin felt herself calming and gripped his shirt for a sense of security.

"I was afraid. Afraid and acting on impulse, Len. I'm gonna call and cancel my appointment tomorrow and mail the consent form back to the clinic. I've got to – WE'VE got to pick a doctor for me to see during my pregnancy. I'm not leaving you out of the loop this time."

Len smiled. "Can we start all over? Forget this ever happened?" he asked, pulling away to look her in the face. "Oh, look at what I did to you!" he nearly sobbed at the sight of the ugly bruise he'd given her and rested his head on her shoulder. Rin held him close to her.

"We can forget, I'll say I tripped on the stairs when people ask about the bruise." She gave Len the same treatment he gave her and tangled her fingers in his hair. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt that much anymore.

"But the fact of the matter is that it hurt initially. I still hurt you."

"Len," Rin chuckled. "You hurt me every time I have sex with you. It doesn't bother you then. Just don't hit a pregnant girl again, okay?"

Len kissed her again, his face still showing his hesitance to accept her forgiveness. "Rin, you can slap me back and call me any name you want now, just so you know."

Rin smirked and patted his cheek. "You're sweet," she whispered. "There, I slapped you and called you a name."

Len smiled and tousled her hair as he pulled her to his chest in a childlike manner. "Just one reason why I love you, Rin."


	5. Sickness and Sarcasm

Short addition today...I felt like I had to show this one some love since I've been kind of neglecting it lately.

* * *

p"Len. . .I'm gonna die. . ."

"Rin, you're not gonna die."

"I can't keep anything down anymore!"

"You'll be fine, I promise."

Rin was once again hunched over the toilet in the room she now shared with Len, emptying her stomach of all she'd eaten for breakfast. Len stayed by her side, gently rubbing and patting her back while holding her hair back in hopes of comforting her. He kept his eyes averted from the toilet bowl for fear of having to throw up, himself. After a minute or so Rin collapsed to the floor, wiping her mouth with a hand towel.

"I hate this morning sickness shit," she muttered. Len smiled and patted her shoulder encouragingly.

"Hey, watch the language. It's our baby that's causing it, you know."

"Oh, that makes this SO much more enjoyable as I die of malnourishment."

". . ."

"What?"

"You're beautifully sarcastic even when you're sick."


	6. Frightful Future

**I hope this chapter isn't as much as a disappointment as the last one was...**

* * *

"Len! Come here! And hurry!" Rin yelled.

Len flew up the stairs and into their room, leaving behind the ramen simmering in water on the stove. He threw the door open in a dead panic, searching the room for Rin. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her standing in front of the closet doors which had full-length mirrors on them. She looked alright, standing in the middle of the floor in her short black nightgown(Len fought to keep his eyes away from her legs to avoid another inconvenient nosebleed), her hand on her lower abdomen.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, walking closer to her. Rin simply looked up at him via the mirror. She turned sideways.

"Nothing's wrong…I just…noticed that I have a bump now. Look." She smoothed the midnight black material over her slightly larger abdomen. Len felt his heart nearly stop when he noticed the barely visible bump of Rin's stomach. She smiled at him and took his hand to place it on her abdomen.

"I'm gonna start showing sooner than we thought, Len."

Len rested his forehead against her temple. "That's not a problem, is it?"

Rin smiled. "Of course not. It just means we're a step closer to our baby."

* * *

"You know, this whole cheating situation isn't as awkward as I feared it would be," Meiko said, placing a plate of leftover okonomiyaki in the refriderator. Rin smiled.

"I know. I'm glad it passed as easily as it has."

"Though I have to say, I was really surprised when you just came out and told me Len got you pregnant."

Rin looked down. "Well, Len and I were going to tell you and Kaito together around a week after I found out about the baby, but you guys were…um…busy."

Meiko blushed. "What do you mean?"

Rin bit her lip. "We heard you guys in Kaito's room and just decided to wait until later. We were gonna tell you together, but when I saw I had a chance to tell you myself, I decided to take it before my courage was gone."

". . ."

". . .what?"

Meiko chuckled. "That's kind of funny. Kaito and I were going to tell you and Len about us, but you guys were making some tell-tale noises in Len's room when we worked up the courage to."

Rin laughed. "So you know how we felt."

"Exactly."

Rin continued wrapping up leftovers from dinner as she mulled over the question begging to be asked of Meiko.

"Meiko-nii. . .?"

"Yeah, Rin?"

"I was wondering. . .do you think a couple should get married when they're expecting?"

"What brings this on?"

"I'm just wondering, because, you know, I was encouraged by my mother to wait until I was married to have sex, and here I am, sixteen, pregnant and unmarried to boot."

". . . do you want to marry Len?"

Rin bit her lip. "Y – yeah. But I'm afraid of telling him that because I don't know if he wants the same thing."

Meiko dropped all she was doing and turned to face Rin. "What's the harm in telling him? Maybe he's trying to find a way to tell you that he wants to marry you. At this point, you guys have no legal ties to each other, but you both have ties to the baby, you especially. Len would never leave you or the baby – we both know that he isn't that kind of person. So I don't see what harm there is in hinting that you want marriage."

Rin brushed a piece of blond hair behind her ear. "Maybe," she pondered aloud, "marriage wouldn't be best for us right now."

Meiko gave Rin her best 'are-you-serious' look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, we're already under a ton of pressure, trying to get the money to pay for the doctors' appointments, all the preparation for the baby's room…actually, not so much the baby's room as an apartment."

"You're gonna move into an apartment together?" Meiko asked, a smile spreading across her face.

"We want to, but we won't have the money for a long time. I don't know if Gakupo-nii will be happy having a new baby in the house. That'd mean a ton of responsibility for all of us. Not to mention sleepless nights for everyone."

Meiko smiled. "Believe it or not, when I'm sober, I absolutely love little kids. I'll be more than willing to help you and Len out when the baby comes."

Rin's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah!"

Rin suddenly burst forth and threw her arms around Meiko. "Thank you so much, Meiko-nii~" she sang. Meiko laughed and hugged Rin back.

"You're welcome. I think you could use the help, especially right after you give birth."

After you give birth. Those words seemed to strike fear in Rin's heart. She knew it was supposed to be painful.

"Hey, are you okay?" Meiko asked, putting a hand on Rin's shoulder to steady her. "You're lookin' kinda. . .ghosty."

Rin nodded after a second or so. "Yeah…I'm fine," she murmured, swallowing. "Just a little scared is all."

"About what?"

"Labor."

"Hey, you've got another six months or so before you have to worry about that. Don't worry, they give you painkillers and anesthetic during the birth and morphine afterward. Seriously, they give you this little button to push once a minute to send morphine through your system." Meiko snickered. "Morphine makes me really hyper, for some reason. . ." she rambled on.

Rin tried her hardest to smile as she continued packing up dinner's leftovers. Why was she so afraid now? Shouldn't she have been afraid before. . .?


End file.
